Experience the Andes

Event Details

Experience music and culture from the longest mountain range in the world, which extends from north to south through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Enjoy South American musical and dance performances, listen to special Culture Talks, try your hand at playing traditional Andean instruments, and more!

Gifts Available for Purchase9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.Adventure to the Andes at the Museum Store with a selection of artisan jewelry, crafts, music, books, and instruments from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Instrument Spotlight9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.Don’t miss a chance to play traditional Andean instruments like the Andean harp, the bombo drum, and the charango. Visit the Latin America Gallery to see them played in MIM’s exhibit videos for additional inspiration.

Photo Booth9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.Have your picture taken with costumes and props at MIM’s custom photo booth, and instantly get your own copy to take home.

Drop-In Screenings of Kusisqa Waqashayku (From Grief and Joy We Sing)10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.Immerse yourself in traditional music of the Andes and learn about the music, history, and culture of the Q’eros people in this intriguing documentary film. The Quechua community of Q’eros in the Andes of southeast Peru is renowned for its traditional music, weaving, and spiritual rituals—customs that many other Andean communities no longer practice. The Q’eros’s songs, with roots in pre-Hispanic Peru, serve many purposes: to release personal emotion, to propitiate the Apu (mountain deities) and Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) for animal fertility, and to celebrate during Carnival. The film will be screened on the hour every hour, so drop by throughout the day to catch a screening.

The film’s producer, writer, and director Dr. Holly Wissler is an applied ethnomusicologist who shares her time between Cusco, Peru, and Austin, Texas. She has developed various music projects with the Quechua Q’eros community in the southern Peruvian Andes and the Harakmbut Wachiperi community in the Cusco Amazon region. In Peru, she works as local expert and guide for National Geographic, The Smithsonian Institution, Amazon Conservation Association, Wilderness Travel, and U.S. University study abroad programs.

Andean String Music Performance10:15–11:00 a.m.Kick off the day’s performances with an exploration of the Andean musical heritage of Venezuela and Colombia. Local Venezuelan musicians Davis Blasini and Jose Ferrero will perform traditional Andean tunes on various string instruments like charango, cuatro, and bandolin.

Face Painting11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.Add a touch of color and whimsy to your look! Have your face painted with a custom design by artists from Evolving Through Art.

Chile Canta y Baila Dance Workshop
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.Since 1995, Chile Canta y Baila has traveled all over Arizona with support from the Chilean Cultural Center of Arizona, sharing the South American country’s heritage through song and dance. Be sure to join this dynamic group as they teach dances from the Andean region of northern Chile, all set to live music!

South American-Inspired Lunch Menu Available for Purchase11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.Visit the café and enjoy a South American-themed menu inspired by flavors from the longest mountain range in the world.

Mariano Gonzales and Flavio Martinez, Harp and Panpipe Performance1:00–1:45 p.m.Travel through the music of the Andes mountains with these two talented South American musicians as they perform traditional rhythms and songs on Andean instruments such as harp, charango, and varieties of panpipe flutes. Enjoy their special Andean-focused presentation during the day, and be sure to come back in the evening for their concert in the MIM Music Theater for an even broader repertoire!

Culture Talk: “A Musical Journey through Cusco”2:15–3:00 p.m.Join Dr. Katherine Palmer, clarinetist and MIM museum educator, on a musical journey through Cusco, Peru. Palmer will present a lecture-recital that details the intersections between Western European Art Music and the indigenous sounds of the Andean highlands. Live musical examples will highlight the tonal style of Peruvian composition known as the Cusqueño School through selections by Armando Guevara Ochoa (1926-2013).

Los Waukis Andinos Performance3:15–4:00 p.m.Learn all about the indigenous music of the Andes with a performance by this talented Phoenix-based band. “Los Waukis” means “the brothers” in the Quechua language—a phrase that reflects the diversity of backgrounds and influences of the band members, who hail from Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico, yet who are united in their shared love for the music of the Andes.